Seeing the forest for the trees
Since losing their Eyre Peninsula home and garden to bushfire, Lindy and Richard Gill have found solace and healing in an historic Adelaide Hills property, which they are excited to share with the public this Mother’s Day.
Autumn is Lindy Gill’s favourite season. It’s when her sprawling Adelaide Hills garden, Hilltop, is ignited by the red, orange and yellow hues of the heroic deciduous trees. In particular, the dozens of red maples that line the garden’s long, sweeping driveway.
“It is spectacular when the autumn colours kick in. It’s the best time of year. With a bit of light filtering through the trees, it’s quite ethereal,” Lindy says.
A symbol of new beginnings, autumn is a poignant season for Lindy and her husband Richard Gill, who lost their previous property – a heritage-listed Georgian home near Port Lincoln – in the 2005 Black Tuesday bushfires.
Lindy and Richard had created a beautiful garden there, but the fires took everything. “The trauma of losing our homestead and garden was enormous,” Lindy says.
“Nine people lost their lives and many of our neighbours lost their homes, farms and livestock. We felt our loss was somehow less important. The combination of pain and guilt of losing our heritage-listed property during our custodianship made it difficult to process.
“I had always dreamt of having a Hills garden so when it came time to start rebuilding our lives, we began looking for properties in the Adelaide Hills.”
The couple searched for three years and purchased Hilltop in 2008. Located in Stirling, the garden had been cared for by five different gardening families, stretching as far back as the 1930s. Previous custodians include Alice Howard, the granddaughter of former South Australian premier Sir John Downer.
“We inherited a garden that people had loved and done many great things, but I wanted to put my own stamp on it; opening up the views in particular,” Lindy says.
“For some time after the fire we did experience a black patch in our lives, but we both remained determined to rebuild. The garden at Hilltop became an important part of my healing – it allowed me to start dreaming again.”
The couple also acquired the neighbouring property, which enabled them to extend the garden to an impressive size – a total of 3.6 hectares. But it meant a huge effort of clearing dense growth.
“I don’t know where I’d be without my tip-truck and my chainsaw – they’re my favourite tools. Nature is beautiful, but sometimes she’s erratic,” Lindy explains.
Over the years, the couple and their gardeners have removed swathes of thick undergrowth and heavily pruned the lower stories of the trees. This has created open views of the many parks and long vistas, imitating the feel of a botanic garden.
“Rather than re-designing the garden to any particular vision, I look at the garden and ask: ‘What do you want to be?’”
It is easy to miss the cleverly-designed secret vistas – narrow views through tree trunks and hedges to urns and statues far in the distance. Some of these long sightlines are happy accidents but most have been cleverly created.
“I love it when I’m weeding and I pop my head up to be confronted with one of these lovely views. You could not see that far when we first started here,” Lindy says.
As part of the redesign and inspired by European-style garden vistas, Lindy removed formal areas and re-routed paths to create winding, narrow tracks through the wooded gardens.
“It’s perfectly imperfect and that’s what I want my garden to be. I love visiting gardens that are immaculate, but I want to live in a garden that is whimsical and rambling and soft, with pockets of formality that surprise you,” she says.
“I could never have achieved as much without Richard’s support. He helps with the heavy work like the mowing, the watering systems and fixing the messes I make,” she laughs.
The couple dug out the many white and blue agapanthus from the birch forest and replanted them along the driveway. This has softened the appearance of the driveway, making the garden feel more expansive.
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A key feature of the property is the couple’s garden room that was built sympathetically to their striking Dutch Colonial home. Separate from the house, this room has large picture-window views into the birch forest, where the ground is blanketed in ferns and ivy.
From here, a network of paths lead visitors all around the property’s 3.6 hectares down to the very back corner, where a water lily-covered pond is edged with yellow Japanese iris. This picturesque space is anchored by a contorted willow, a golden ash and plane tree.
“The ornaments and plants are the building blocks but it’s the spaces between them that make the garden special. With Monet’s water lily series, the beauty lies in the space between the lilies. I see my garden in the same way,” Lindy says.
“A garden is a living picture, and I think it should make you feel something. It should make you smile, make you feel grateful, or just at peace.”
The garden shares its name with Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top farm in England, which inspired many of the author’s famous titles, and it’s easy to imagine her furry characters scurrying about Lindy’s fairytale pathways.
The couple walks their rescue dog Frankie around the garden each day, observing the progress and noting jobs that still need doing. Lindy says it adds to their health and sense of wellbeing.
“I rarely see a property that I think I’d rather have. While I can appreciate all those other beautiful formal gardens and homes, and I love going to visit them, this one is part of me,” she says.
Now, busily preparing for her open garden on the Mother’s Day weekend, Lindy is reminded of her late mother, Marion, who was an important part of her gardening journey. Together, they travelled to many gardens and conferences. Marion was a key sounding board for many decisions at Hilltop.
“Some of her ashes have been laid to rest within the garden. I often visit this spot with a glass of wine to reflect and contemplate how lucky I have been,” Lindy says.
The open garden will raise money for breast cancer research and awareness with plans for an art exhibition, Devonshire tea, craft, plants and a charity auction. Lindy hopes it is a special occasion for families to enjoy together.
“My mother and I grew to love gardening together and it was special that I was able to go on that journey with her,” she says.
“I hope the Mother’s Day weekend at Hilltop will provide an opportunity for mothers to share special time with family and friends and that we will also celebrate our mothers who are absent but not forgotten. Mothers, daughters and gardens are a very special thing.”
With a never-ending list of jobs around the expansive property, the couple still has plenty of work to do. But for Lindy, the work is healing.
“When I walk around the garden each evening, I often feel an overwhelming sense of peace, happiness and gratitude for the life we have made. A happy ending,” she says.
“Isn’t it like something out of a fairy tale?”
This article appears in the May 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine.
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